Tourist Season

When I first arrived to Rome, I was initially overwhelmed by the hectic city lifestyle. I have never lived in a city before, so the swarms of people driving and walking through the city was different than the sprawling atmosphere that I grew up in. However, after a week or two I learned how to navigate some certain areas properly and I became accustomed to the city. Things no longer seemed too overly crowded, and grew to love living in a city.

However, over these past two or three weeks I have noticed that the downtown areas near school have become far more crowded. Places like Piazza Navona, the Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon are constantly packed with tourists from all over the world, especially during the afternoon. It is interesting walking around these areas because of the numerous languages that you will hear being spoken. It is safe to assume that we are entering the prime tourist season, which also coincides with the recent influx of extreme heat.

Descriptions of Three Places

During the day, the Campo de Fiori is one of the most colorful areas in Rome. There is a vast open air market where you can buy fresh meat, bread, fruit, vegetables, and cheese. To an outsider, the atmosphere may intially seem hectic and intimidating. Hordes of Italians flock there to purchase food and barter with the shop owners. This is ont of the best spots to witness the Italian culture and experience their daily interactions.

The Piazza Navona also offers a daily outdoor market, albeit a much different type. Instead of a food market, at Navona you will encounter a plethora of sights and sounds. Street musicians and preformers line the piazza, so there is a constant flow of free entertainment. By the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, artists set up stands where you can purcahse their paintings. Some offer excellent portraits of the Roman landscape or famouns areas.

The Piazza Della Rotonde is located at the front entrance of the Pantheon. During the day, this can be one of the most crowded areas in the entire city, particularly during tourist season. People flock to the Pantheon to behold the massive structure and it also serves as a solid place to meet up with someone. Restaurants and cafes surround the piazza, so it is a great place to relax and enjoy a nice cup of coffee. Like Navona, this piazza is full of talented musicians, vendors, and various preformers. These are three great areas near each other, which all offer a unique slice of the Roman lifestlye.

Angels and Demons

While walking home yesterday, I noticed that there was a lot of commotion occurring in the Pantheon area. Sure enough, the Ron Howard film "Angels and Demons," is currently being filmed throughout the city. Labeling the Dan Brown novel a blockbuster would be an understatement, as millions of Americans have read the book thinking that they have gained inside knowledge about Roman history.

The area was crowded with people trying to get a clear picture of Tom Hanks or just witness the filming. The one scene we saw was Tom Hanks and one of his co-stars walking from the fountain toward the entrance of the Pantheon. However, before the shot everything was set up perfectly by Howard. He cleared out the entire area except for a few vendors, some random tourists, and a group of nuns, all of whom would be included in the overhead shot.

This slightly bothered me. Since the Pantheon is simply down the road from our classroom, we walk by it frequently. The atmosphere is nothing like the illusion that Howard created. He made the area seem serene, when in reality the area is always so crowded with tourists. It is actually a skill to navigate through the throngs of tourists and reach your desired destination. When people see this movie, they will not be given the true ambiance of the piazza. But I quickly forgave Ron Howard though, because he helped produce "Arrested Development."

Rush Hour

Growing up, repeatedly remember my parents lecturing me about always bracing for the worst possible circumstance in regards to travel. If I had a dentist appointment at two in the afternoon, my dad would insist that I leave fifteen minutes early because of rush hour raffic. If I had a basketball game nine in the evening, I was told to be weary of the dreaded late-night rush hour. To my parents, suburban Philadelphia was perpetually gridlock with cars all hours of the night.

Before leaving for Venice early Thursday morning, I wish I heeded my parents’ advice. As we walked toward the bus stop on Trastevere, we missed the first bus that leads to Termini train station. I was unnerved, because we still had ninety minutes before departure. However, by the time the next bus came, the Roman morning rush hour was in full force. The streets were jam-packed with cars and Vespas trying to maneuver through the crowded streets. Our gigantic bus was no match for these conditions, as it was unable to weave around the traffic because of its size. We had no option but to get off and hail a cab. Luckily, the cab driver was extremely skilled in these rough driving conditions, and in no time he had us at the station. I learned a valuable lesson that day: always expect the worst when traveling. I just wished this lesson resonated in my head from the countless times my parents told me the same thing because then I would not have had this misadventure.

Street Walking

When I first arrived in Rome, crossing streets was quite the ordeal. I was certain that at some point a car would hit me; I just prayed that it would not be too bad. The streets are jam-packed with cars like an American city, the only difference is that in Rome there are no apparent rules for driving. This is especially true for the Vespas. As cars are stopped at a red light, the bikers shoot past them and lead the pack of automobiles. When the little walking man flashes green, it is your turn to walk on the crosswalk. At first, I would jump up out of fear everytime while crossing because a Vespa would speed up right where I was walking, always halting in the nick of time.

Initially, I would look at them in shock thinking that they were erratic drivers who despised pedestrians. Through their facial expressions, they would tell me that these roads are meant for driving. As the weeks have progressed, I have become accustomed to the daily chaos in the streets. Now when the motorcycles zip close to me, I am undaunted by them and barely even flinch. Instead of waiting for the green walk man at crosswalks, I have become like the Romans who just bolt out whenever they feel like crossing. Their motto: the cars will stop for us. It is liberating to not fear being hit, but it is also a little troublesome. With one false move, there is a decent chance that my confidence will fail me and it could end horribly. This proves that being confident is not always a good thing.

Italy vs. Germany

Before heading over the Frankfurt, I thought that it would be a city like New York because of all the hustle and bustle that is so common in major business districts. Frankfurt is one of the main business centers in all of Europe, but if you walked around not know this you would not believe it. On Friday around noon, there were no people in the business areas and it resembled more of a ghost town than a major financial district. There were very few cars on the road, and not too many people on the street in the downtown areas. Granted this was a Friday, but it was early in the afternoon so it was suprising to see only a handful of suits with briefcases. Perhaps Frankfurt is different than the U.S. Maybe they get out extremely early. Nonetheless, this did suprise me.

After getting back to Rome around 10 PM, I immediatley noticed the differences between the two cities. It was pretty late on a Sunday, yet the roads were still packed with cars and Vespas, and there were a decent amount of people walking around. On Moday morning, I was overwhelmed by the mass amounts of people on the street because I became accustomed to the lax German attitude after spending just over two days there. The people in Germany walk and drive slower compared to Italians. In Rome, constantly you are being bumped into and passed by speed-walking pedestrians who are usually in a rush for no apparent reason. Although we flew for just two hours north of Rome, the two cultures are completely different. I kind of like the German easy-going ways because they never seemed rushed and it was more peaceful.

The Vatican

Today while at the Vatican, which is spectacular by the way, I experienced different type of Roman congestion: the hoardes of tourists waiting in line at the entrance to the smallest country in the world. When we first got to the Vatican at around 9 AM, it was not quite pakced yet so we were able to move around freely and see everything without many problems. However, after some of us were finished walking around the tombs of the popes, we walked outside but made a wrong turn somewhere. Because of the error, we ended up outside of the Vatican and in order to get back in we had to wait in a line that almost reached to the entrance of the city. I wanted to go back in, so I figured that the line would move somewhat swiftly but I was wrong. As more and more people began piling up behind me, I was overwhelmed but the amount of different languages that were being spoken and the sheer volume of people in a condensed area. After realizing that the line was moving at the speed of a slow crawl, I finally gave up and headed home. At least I know I will go back there soon to see everything, so I was not too upset.

The Morning Commute

Yesterday morning, I actually slept later than 6:30 which was a first for me this trip. However, the ramifacation of sleeping-in meant that I actually had to take the tram for the first time in the morning. I did not think this would be a problem, but as I waited at the stop and saw the tram pull closer and closer to me, I quickly realized how crowded they get during the morning rush hour. Trying to squeeze in was extremely difficult as there were not many places to move or stand. It was almost like everyone was playing human Tetris, just tryng to fit their bodies into tight spaces somehow. To make matters worse, the roads were full of traffic, so the tram took about 20 minuntes to get to the last stop. Also, we are one of the earlier stops, so as the trip progressed it got more and more crowded. Finally, we reached the end and I got off the tram with sweat tripping down my face. With so many people there, it got extremely hot and uncomfortable. I have been on congested public transportation vehicles before, like the Philadelphia and NYC subways, but there were so many people crammed in that I actually felt uneasy. Needless to say, from now on I am going to try my best to continue waking up early instead of having to deal with jam-packed tram.